1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to a pleated drapery supporting system particularly suitable for "S" type fold drapery and wherein a variety of drapery material widths may be accommodated within a given drapery closed dimension when the drapery is extended.
2. Description of the Related Art
Commonly, the width of drapery material, prior to pleating, is substantially greater than the width of the window or opening to be draped, i.e. the closed or extended dimension of the drapery. The excess drapery width is pleated, usually with pinch pleats, to provide attractive folds in the drapery material, and carriers mounted upon the horizontal traverse rod use hooks or other means to interconnect the traverse rod carriers with the pinch pleats. The spacing between adjacent pinch pleats determines the spacing between the pleats when the drapery is fully extended as the drapery material, itself, constitutes the tension member for closing the drapery. Such typical pinch pleat drapery systems require that the width of the drapery material be accurately determined for a particular closed drapery dimension, and with such pinch pleat installations it is necessary to custom size and fit the drapery material to its extended width dimension.
It is possible to reduce the "tolerances" between the width of a drapery material and its extended dimension by using an "S" pleat. Such a pleating system forms the drapery of an "S" or sinuous configuration whereby adjacent folds directly lay against each other when the drapery is retracted. However, with an "S" pleat drapery system it is necessary to directly interconnect adjacent drapery carriers as the drapery material, itself, cannot be used as the tension member for pulling the drapery closed or extended. Without separate means for interconnecting the carriers the "forward" folds or pleats will be straightened while the "rear" pleats will remain folded and uniform unfolding of the drapery material throughout its width as the drapery is extended will not occur resulting in an unattractive hanging.
It has been proposed with "S" type drapery systems to interconnect adjacent traverse rod carriers with a string or flexible tension connector so as to space the pleats as desired when the drapery is extended. However, known drapery systems of this type do not permit ready adjustment between the spacing of adjacent carriers and still require custom installation procedures. Drapery systems in accord with the above description are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,616,486 wherein a string is molded into adjacent traverse rod carriers to determine the spacing therebetween, such a molding assembly preventing spacing adjustments between adjacent carriers to be accomplished on site.